Easy to Be Hard (Hair cover)

TDN borrowed this song from the 60s musical 'Hair'. A counter-culture, anti-war, psycedelic rock musical (that's pretty good with songs like this one, 'Walking in Space' and 'Good Morning Starshine'). Reflected what youth was going through at the time (the draft, Vietnam war, drugs, free love, civil rights movement, etc). Very turbulent time. There was a huge contrast between the youth culture and establishment.

The song's about a young woman (Sheila) who is frustrated that her boyfriend (Berger) seems to care more about strangers in need (the 'bleeding crowd') and social injustices than he does about her. He's caught up in the causes but she's saying 'Hey, I'm important to you too...'

The message is relevant to anyone who gets too obsessive about a cause or maybe their work and forgets about the people who are close to them.

I've been hearing this song since the opening night of Hair. All that time, up to now, I thought I heard "ugly" whenever anyone sang "heartless." No matter who sang it! (laughing) Worst part is, I can't blame my poor hearing on one moment of being high or otherwise impaired! Well, at least "ugly" and "heartless" are roughly synonymous.

I'll admit too, it still is not clear to me exactly what is being sung at "Do you only care about..." I always thought it was "...the real crowd." "...being proud" does seem to fit.

Good song, listening to it now. I could be wrong but to me, it seems like it's about someone who is trying to make a friend but everyone is cruel. Whoever it is, is wondering how can people be like that. He thinks it's easy for them but hard to believe. How can people be so cruel, heartless etc.

In the song, they mention that they need a friend but everyone is mean in someway.

The line in question is actually "Do you only care about the be-in crowd" and is commonly misheard.

http://kissthisguy.com/do-you-only-care-about-the-bleeding-crow-misheard-11915.htm

The first Human Be-In was a psychedelic gathering that took place in 1967 in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, and there was another in Manhattan's Central Park a few months later, in anticipation of the Summer of Love. The "Be-In Crowd" included people like Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Allen Ginsburg, and people from Andy Warhol's Factory, including Edie Sedgwick. In other words, the counter-culture cognoscenti and the hippest of the hip. So it wasn't a bleeding crowd or being proud. Like so many lyrics from Hair, it is a cultural reference that was trendy at the time and is now obviously dated.

"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make" ;)

Isn't that the truth!

I think the lyrics are trying to say friends should come first, before social causes. Ignoring a friend certainly can be cruel. I'd like to know the story behind the lyrics. Sounds like a lover's spat. "You know I'm hung up on you". Is this jeolousy shrowed in poetry?

Beautiful song.

Your lyrics are wrong. It's not "Do you only care about being proud". It is, and always was, "Do you only care about the bleeding crowd". Also attributing this to Three Dog Night instead of Lyn Kellogg and the musical Hair is just moronic.